Legend of the Pokemon Knights
by ZDragonLord
Summary: A young boy by the name Zweii has lived under a guardian's care his entire life. One day he sets out on a journey that will change his life. With only a mysterious sword and relic left to him, he travels across the world in search of answers. He meets many friends along the way, and makes more than a fair share of rivals. Little does he know, eyes are watching from the shadows...
1. Prologue: A look at the past

**A/N: First few chapters have been redone. They might not seem to have changed too terribly much, but I assure you, they have. I know the first few are not in third person like I said, but later on you will see the work around I put in. I tried to do the start up until more characters were added, but the constant "Zweii" name over and over was bothering me, since there are no other major characters in that time. I'm still working on the next chunk of chapters, after which a few are going to need complete overhauls and I'm even adding some events in here and there. Thanks for being patient while all this goes on everyone!**

The snowy season was unusually harsh this year. The winds blew with a mission to unhinge the doors on our houses, and visibility was only a couple of feet. I sat inside one of the larger houses with my father, Duke, assisting him with his latest project.

"Zweii, pass me the clamps," he asked.

"Here you go," I said, handing him the iron tongs.

Duke clamped them onto the end of the red-hot beam of steel, and plunged it into the water trough beside him. Steam filled the room as the beam of steel was super-cooled. He lifted it back up and set it on the stack of other beams.

"There, that oughta' do it. Ten short steel beams for the center down the mountain."

"What are these ones for?" I asked.

"They are to reinforce the roof of the Pokemon center at the bottom of the mountain," he explained. "The snow is starting to pile up."

"Want some help putting them on the cart?" I asked.

"No, when the storm dies out Mamoswine can help, but thanks," he replied with a smile.

"Okay."

"Your practice done for today?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good, then off to bed, you have an exciting day ahead tomorrow."

I went to my room in the cabin, changed clothes, and sat on the bed. I laid back, looking up toward the ceiling.

"I can't wait until tomorrow. In a few hours, I will be sixteen, and I can finally start my journey to find my parents. As I laid there, I went over the years I have lived in the village that I could remember.

_I was told that when I was very small, my parents left me here with Duke. They left nothing behind, no pictures, no names, nothing. Through my life, Duke raised me as a steelworker's apprentice, and taught me a thing or two about how to use a longsword. Every day, since the day I could lift a wooden sword, I practiced swinging and blocking techniques. I never understood why, especially in this day in age, but he was my father, and he knew best. I was homeschooled by the town's elder on various subjects, includingthe basics of Pokemon and wilderness survival in the mountains. I was never taught how to be a trainer, as the town had none to teach me. The town is fairly small by the name Kalhura and is one of the farthest points North in the Sinnoh region, and is so small that it is not on normal maps. The only way to get here is through a single mountain trail that comes from another small town below us, however during the snowy season like this, it is almost impossible to traverse. The upside to our little town is the help that we have. Due to the climate, we have a large number of wild ice-type Pokemon around, the only exception being Duke's Camerupt that gives life to the forge. I would often wander around the town to talk to other people, and meet all the variety of Pokemon in nothing more than a shirt, shorts, and shoes. For some reason, I wasn't bothered too terribly much by the cold, in-fact, I was always very warm. I thought it was just because I grew up in a forge, but Duke would go out wearing a thick jacket and pants. Another mystery I hope to solve someday. _

I soon found myself falling asleep in the bed I was laying on, drifting into that place where only your deepest wishes come true.


	2. The dark dream

I opened my eyes to a void of darkness. I looked down to see that I was in some kind of armor. I scanned the area, trying to figure out where I was. Suddenly a fireball shot past me. I spun around to see an army of ghostly figures charging forward. The army was a mixture of Pokemon and humans alike, but only blurred silhouettes. A battle horn sounded off, and an opposing army appeared. I looked at both sides, noticing I was caught in the middle.

_"Which side am I on?"_ I thought.

The Pokemon on each side started to fire barrages of attacks on each other. With each successful hit on an opposing foe, they exploded into black mist. The battle started to push one side back. On the winning side I saw a banner with a distinct emblem on it, a pokeball with a sword through it and cracks on where the blade entered and exited, attached to the ball was a small chain.

_"What a scary emblem. Makes it look like their Pokemon are slaves."_

A large silhouette appeared before the banner, an equally large sword in hand, and started laughing.

"Haha! Crush those peasants! Leave no one standing! Nothing shall stop our might this day!" he bellowed.

The massive army now encircled the "peasants." I watched, able to do nothing. The army closed the gap between itself and the tiny remaining group. From nowhere a roar pieced the darkness. I looked up to see four figures flying into the scene at extraordinary speed.

"Forget the peasants! Our main targets have arrived!" the large figure boomed.

The soldiers ordered their Pokemon to open fire into the sky. The new figures dodged and weaved through the barrage, avoiding everything that came their way with ease. Finally, they made it to the center of the scene. I now realized what they were. As they entered the lighter area of the dark void, they shed their ghostly appearance, and turned into a more solid silhouette, much like the man in front of the banner. By the looks of it they were in armor similar to the set I was wearing, swords raised high in the air. Each was mounted on a large flying Pokemon, appearing to go straight toward the man at the banner. The last rider's mount let loose a flamethrower across the field, igniting a large portion of it, before the area exploded into a large cloud of black mist. Another let out a blue beam that tore across more troops. Before my eyes most of the opposing army was gone, the peasant army cheered, and slowly vanished. Now all that was left was the four riders and the man by the banner.

"Do you really think you can win? With my new found power, you will never win!" he yelled.

The group of four flew towards the man. The rear riders took point, and the front fell back. It is a good thing they did, as a burst of light came from behind the man, and took out the first of the riders with an explosion of white. Another burst was fired at the second leading rider. The figure attempted to dodge the attack its Pokemon was clipped and the rider was thrown off. Red eyes appeared in the background behind the man.

"That was easy! Now take the rest of them out!"

A third beam of light came towards the rider in front. The silhouette drew a strange glowing sword, and held it up. The rider and mount then flew into the beam, and dove just under it. It held the sword straight up, and cut the attack in half. The sword changed color to glow a purple hue. Every attack that was thrown their way was either dodged or deflected. I watched as the pair started to slow their moves, barely dodging some attacks.

"You need to run, don't look back, just get yourselves out of here," a man's voice said.

"No, I won't leave you here!" a female called, deflecting another attack.

"Go! Seek my cousin in the mountains. You two are more important than me! Bring the artifacts to my cousin!"

"I can't live without you!"

"You won't live at all if you don't go! Everything you carry will end this tyrant's rule in time, now go!"

The woman hesitated, and turned around.

"I love you!" the woman cried.

"We will meet again my love! You will see!"

The woman sheathed her sword and flew off, never once looking back.

"Are you ready for this old friend?" the lone rider asked his partner.

A loyal roar answered in return.

"Alright then."

The duo flew straight at the man by the banner.

"Fools! Your judgment will be swift! Judgment call!" the banner man called.

A loud screech came from behind him, as a massive cloud of light orbs appeared behind him.

"For the Knights! Draco meteor!" the rider called.

A rift opened in the sky behind him, and blue meteors rained from the sky. Simultaneously, all of the orbs fired towards him as a mass. The attacks collided with a flash of light. I heard the banner man's laugh trail off as I saw the rider fall from his mount and plummet towards the ground. One of his Pokemon's wings was gone, and it spiraled down with him. The last thing I saw in the flash of light was a strange looking Pokemon silhouette with what looked like a spiked ring around its waist, and glaring red eyes.


	3. The journey begins

I snapped out of my sleep, the sun's rays shining through my window.

"Zweii, come quick!" Duke called from another room.

I drowsily hopped out of bed, and wandered to the main room where he was. I arrived, only to see him with a big smile on his face.

"Look, the storm is gone! It's as if it disappeared overnight!" he called, obviously overexcited.

"Okay, so you can take those beams to town?" I asked sleepily.

"Today is your sixteenth birthday! Mother Nature is wishing you well on your journey."

After that strange dream, I had almost forgot today was my birthday. I could finally go on the journey I have been planning in search off my real parents.

"Oh, I had forgotten."

"Wha… how could you forget the most important day of your life?!"

"This weird dream…"

"Never mind! We have a celebration that you are late for!" he cut me off.

I headed out to the center of the village where everyone, and I mean everyone, was gathered. I received small amounts of money, food, a large amount of berries gathered by the local Pokemon, and a few homemade trinkets. After a few cheers, hugs, and goodbyes, the village elder appeared along with Duke.

"We have been waiting for this day since the day you were born," the elder said. "I have a few parting gifts that were left for you."

"Left, by who?" I asked, knowing where this was going.

"You see son, I am not your real father. I am your guardian," Duke said.

"I know," I said calmly.

"What? How did you know?"

"A few years ago, I noticed how different I am from everyone else. I can take the cold as it were summer," I explained. "Ice-type Pokemon are drawn to this village due to its climate, but for some reason fire-type, like Camerupt, are drawn to me particularly. Remember when I found that one Darmanitan that got lost up here, and I was the only one who it trusted for help?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Since then, I knew I didn't belong here. That, and the fact that I look nothing like anyone here."

"Oh, I see…" Duke said, sounding depressed.

I walked up and hugged him.

"That doesn't mean I see you any different than sixteen years ago. I just want to find out the truth."

"Well, you are going to need a few things then. Wait here."

He walked back to our house, and came back with a box. He set it on the ground in front of me.

"This is one of my first masterpieces I ever made, and I would like you to have it. I know it may seem a little, outdated, but it will work the same none the less."

I opened the box and removed its contents. I removed a set of steel shoulder plates, the left being larger than the right. Next was some arm armor, the left glove and braces were leather while the left set was steel. Leg armor was next, all steel covers for the front of the legs, followed with a belt with plates to cover the thighs. Last was a thick leather top with hooks on the shoulders to hold the plates on.

"Now I have to question on how old you really are," I said sarcastically.

Everyone laughed, and Duke helped me put everything on. It was a little strange, but fairly light for steel. I thanked him for the gift, and turned to see the elder holding a long box. The box was decorated with gold trimming and a picture of three claw slashes on the center of the lid. Behind him was his son holding a strange rock.

"These was the only items left to you when you were born," the elder said.

_"I thought nothing was left. Where did these come from?"_ I thought.

I took the box and opened the lid. Inside was what looked like a sword in a sheath made from stone. The thing looked more like an artifact from thousands of years ago than anything useful. A note clung to the side of the worn blade.

_I know you will make it your journey to know the truth. Take these gifts to lead you to your destiny. The path will be rough, and there will be tragedy. However, within the darkness shines a light. Your team will carry you far, and the friends you make on the way shall carry you further. You cannot complete your task in the land you know. Venture beyond the boundaries of Sinnoh, you will be shocked at what you will find. _

_"My team? What team?"_

There was no signature, but a seal instead. A shield with a strange looking pokeball that had the same slashes in the center of the top half, behind that was two crossed swords. I put the letter into a satchel attached to my belt, and took the blade from the box. I held the sheath in my left hand, and the hilt of the blade with my right. I started to draw the blade from the sheath, and it made an ear-splitting screech that made all of the nearby Pokemon flinch. I finished drawing the blade, only to see it was in worse condition than its sheath! I was as careful as I could be, as the blade looked as if it would shatter if even someone sneezed. Against my better judgment I took a few swings and found the blade was surprisingly light, and the blade didn't fall apart. I put the blade back, with another nasty screech, and attached the sheath to my belt on the left side of my waist.

"This was also left, but we do not know what it is," the elder's son, Nick, said giving me the stone.

I looked it over, wondering what it was. It was the size and weight of a medium watermelon, and shaped much the same, only it stood on one end instead of long-ways. It had a rigid surface as if it were sitting in the ocean for years. I turned it a few times, and then tried to figure out how I was going to carry it. The elder handed me a makeshift backpack. I accepted it, placed the melon-rock in it, along with the few supplies.

"Don't worry, when I come back, you won't even recognize me!" I called.

"Be sure to stop by the center at the bottom of the mountain, I'm sure they can point you in the direction to begin your journey," the elder said.

"I will, bye!" I called, walking toward the entrance to the town.

I received a large amount of "good luck" and "be safe" comments as I left through the arches.

_"Why give me an ancient sword and a rock? A ROCK?!" _I thought to myself as I started the hike down the mountain.


	4. Trouble on the mountain path

The trek is a few miles and will take the greater part of the day. I walked for two hours and found a small cave to rest in. I made a small fire, and laid my backpack on the ground beside. I opened my backpack and removed some berries and a slice of bread. I used a small bowl and a stone to make jam out of the berries. I took a small knife from my satchel and smeared some of the jelly on the slice of bread. I folded the bread and started to eat my sandwich. After I finished it, I started to make another, when I heard a rock get kicked from deeper in the cave. I slowly got up from my spot, a hand on the hilt of my sword. I got ready for whatever came from the darkness, and was shocked when only a small round pebble rolled up to my feet. I looked down at it, let go of my sword, and picked it up. I heard a quiet whine, like a small puppy. I rolled the pebble back into the dark, where I heard it tap against something. I waited for a few seconds, and it came back. This time I rolled it a little more gently. It stopped at the edge of the darkness. I saw a small figure waddle up and pick it up before rolling it back. I decided to sit down on the ground beside the fire, and rolled the pebble a little closer.

The small game of "catch" continued until a small Bagon emerged from the dark. I watched him pick the pebble up, and was just about to roll it back when he noticed me. He stared at me as if I was going to vanish into thin air. I picked up a slice of bread, and the knife. He backed up a little when I grabbled the knife, and I stuck it into the jam. Not once did I look at him, but I knew he was watching everything I was doing. I spread the jelly on a slice of bread and started to eat it. I knew he could smell the jam, and I wondered if he was curious enough to come closer. I finished the slice, and took out another. I glanced in his direction, and noticed he was halfway to me from where he was before.

_"Wow he's fast, and quiet. I didn't even hear him move."_ I thought.

I started to spread jam on another slice, and glanced again. He was only a few feet away. I heard a familiar roll sound as he rolled the pebble to me. I picked it up, looked at him, and smiled. I held out the finished slice of bread, and he slowly waddled over. He kept his eyes on me with each slow step. When he got to me, he grabbed the bread, and jumped back a ways to eat it. I prepared another slice of my own, and was just about to eat it when I felt a tug on my belt. I looked down to see Bagon staring up at me. I sat there about eat the slice I was holding, and I watched his eyes glance from me to my hand and back.

"Ha ha, here you go little guy," I laughed and gave him the other slice.

He ate it so fast, you would swear he hasn't eaten in days. I cleaned the knife off, packed the bread, and was just about to clean the bowl when he grabbed it. The Bagon walked a foot away, and started to help in "cleaning" the bowl. He walked back over, and gave me the bowl covered in Bagon slobber. I looked at him with a crooked smile. He looked up at me, and his smile started to fade, thinking I was mad. My serious mood couldn't hold against his face covered in berry jelly. I started to laugh, and patted him on his head. I used a cloth to wipe the bowl off, then Bagon's face. I replaced both the bowl and cloth in my backpack.

"Alright little guy, I have to get going," I told the Bagon, putting the fire out.

He looked up at me, apparently not understanding that I was leaving. I picked up my backpack, walked to the entrance of the cave, and heard little footsteps following behind. I glanced back to see Bagon following me from the cave.

"Do you want to come with me?" I asked the trailing Bagon.

A big smile came across his face followed by one of his "yipps."

"Okay, you can follow me down the mountain, ready?"

With another happy yipp, we started down the mountain path.

We walked for a few hours, and I looked up to see a front of black clouds moving in.

_"That is getting a little close for comfort,"_ I thought.

I looked back to Bagon, who was starting to slow his pace.

"Come on little guy, there is a big storm moving in. We have to make it to the bottom before it hits."

He looked up, and tried to move faster, but was not doing much better. The wind started to pick up, snow started to fall, and fog started to roll in.

"This is not right, there shouldn't be fog up here…"

Suddenly, I heard a roar come from the path in front of us. I stopped, and Bagon bumped into my leg. From the fog came a large figure, much taller than I am. I put a hand on my blade, and a Beartic came forward. I looked at him, and he glared at me.

"We are not here to hurt you, we just need to get to the town below!" I called over the winds.

A roar answered me followed by the Beartic charging at us. I dropped my backpack and jumped to the side, grabbing Bagon along the way. I quickly got back up and Bagon had snapped out of his fatigue. He took a fighting stance between the two of us.

"Bagon don't, you will get seriously hurt!" I called.

He ignored me, and charged straight at the Beartic, head lowered for a headbutt. The Beartic blocked it, and hit him off to the side. Bagon shrugged the hit off, and went in with a bite. Again, Beartic countered the attack, and sent Bagon my direction. I caught him, and laid him on the snow. He was beaten up pretty badly, and slipping into unconsciousness.

"Hang in there buddy!" I called.

I noticed Beartic slowly walking towards us. I drew my blade, and took a defensive stance. I stood in front of the wounded Bagon, prepared for Beartic to attack. It charged forward, claws outward. I held the blade in both hands and threw it up above my head to block the attack. I had my doubts the blade would do anything at all, but I had to try. Beartic's claws met the blade, the force being large enough to sink my boots into the snow an inch. We stayed in the interlocked position, both shocked at the fact the blade blocked the attack. Then I heard something that worried me. I heard what sounded like glass cracking. I looked at the bottom of my blade, and cracks were splitting straight up the blade. Beartic started to put his weight on my blade, and more cracks shattered down the length if it. Beartic cracked a grin, lifted an arm up, and brought it down on the blade.

The blade shattered, I recoiled, and dropped to a knee. The Beartic roared, its claws started glowing, readying an ice punch attack. I held up what was left of my blade, only to be shocked at what I held up. The blade I thought shattered was merely a covering that grew over it with age. The blade shined with a vibrant blue glow. The entire blade looked as if it were blue lava, and the strange oriental frame design that covered it made me curious of its purpose. Strange enough the blade was not sharp, but very dull. The hilt had two holes on the cross, two on the handle, and a large one at the pommel. I was examining the sword so intently I had forgot about the incoming attack. I quickly blocked the incoming ice punch, and a high-pitched ring echoed through the mountains. I watched the blue hue of the blade shift to a more reddish-blue. I countered Beartic's claws, and heard a sizzling noise as I swung. I saw a small amount of steam coming from the blade.

"What _is_ this thing?" I muttered.

Beartic came in with another swing. This time I parried the incoming swing, but instead of just deflecting it, there was a flash of orange, followed by a roar from Beartic. I looked at it, and it had a singe mark on its arm where I parried its attack. I looked again at the blade, and held it above the snow. The snow underneath slowly started to melt.

"An heat sword? What is going on?" I wondered, shocked.

The Beartic backed away, and ran off. The blade changed back to the deep blue it used to be. I placed the sword back into its sheath, and the horrible sound was gone. As the blade clicked into place, the blue light shined through the petrification on the scabbard. The stone cracked and shattered revealing an equally oriental and majestic piece of weaponry. I also noticed a seal on the front with a familiar three claw marks across it. I turned around back to Bagon, who was still lying in the snow. I ran over to him and assessed his wounds. He was in terrible shape.

"I need to get you to a center, don't worry, I will get you to safety."

I grabbed Bagon and ran down the mountain path. The storm started to worsen, visibility was only mere feet, but I ran as fast as I could through it. I ended up slipping down a hill. I stayed on my feet, and surfed down the hill. At the bottom I saw a faint red and white light of the Pokemon Center. I ran as fast as I could toward the small town. When I arrived, I practically broke through the doors.

"What on earth? Those doors are automatic you know," Nurse Joy said with a tone of anger.

"You have to help this Bagon, we were attacked halfway down the mountain," I said with urgency.

"Oh my, Chansey, hurry and get Bagon to urgent care."

A group of Chansey came rushing out with a stretcher, I placed Bagon onto it, and they took off into the ER. I took a seat on a nearby chair, worried about Bagon's condition. A while later nurse Joy came over to where I was sitting.

"Is he yours?" she asked calmly.

"No, I met him in a cave, and he followed me, tried to protect me," I answered.

"Are you a trainer?"

"Not exactly. I just started my journey today. I never planned on being a trainer."

"Then what are you starting a journey for?"

"To find out what happened to my family, a journey for truth."

"With your apparent care for Bagon, you have the heart of a trainer. That's why I thought he was yours."

"I have little knowledge of such, I don't even know where to start."

"I think I have a few extra pokeballs around here somewhere…"

_"A trainer… Wait, a team… Could that letter have meant a team of Pokemon?"_ I thought.

She rummaged around behind her desk, and came back holding three pokeballs.

"Here, these should get you started," she said, giving them to me.

"Thanks, how exactly do I become a trainer?" I asked, taking the pokeballs and attached them to my belt.

I noticed the nurse silently examining my blade. The look on her face when she noticed the seal worried me.

"You said you want to become a trainer on a journey for truth?" she asked finally.

"Yes, why? Where do I start?"

"You need to first acquire what's called a pokedex, a device that tracks any Pokemon you have met and shows your status as a trainer."

"Do you know the closes place I can get one?"

"I do, you have to take a boat to get there. It's a Pokemon lab, where new trainers get a pokedex and a starter Pokemon."

"Okay, I will do that, as soon as Bagon is…" I was cut off by the ding of the ER turning off.

The group of Chansey brought a very happy Bagon out of the ER. He stood up on the stretcher and waved. I waved back and walked over to him.

"Feeling better my little guardian?" I asked.

I was answered by a series of happy noises. I picked him up off the stretcher, and placed him on the floor.

"Be safe little guy."

"You aren't going to take him with you?" the nurse asked.

I was somewhat confused, having no knowledge about how to train or raise Pokemon. I will admit I hesitated, but I could not resist the happy face on Bagon.

"Well buddy, want to go on an adventure with me?"

Bagon jumped up and down, giving happy yipps as he did.

"Now how do these work…" I wondered, examining a pokeball.

"They really didn't teach you much up there did they? Just toss an empty one at a willing or defeated Pokemon," she explained.

I took a pokeball from my belt and rolled it his direction. He picked it up, tapped it on his head, and was beamed inside. The ball fell to the ground, and rolled a few times before stopping. I picked the ball up and let Bagon back out.

"Alright buddy, let's start our adventure!"

"Before you go, here is a map of your destination and a map to the lab from there," nurse Joy said, giving me a few papers.

"Thank you, I will be back around here sometime," I said as I left.

"Farewell, future knight," nurse Joy mumbled.


	5. Wrong place, right time

We made our way to the docks that were not very far away, making only a quick stop at the local store to get a few longer-lasting supplies along the way. I got some various medicines, some food, and a few other small things. Suddenly a boat horn went off, both Bagon and I spun around to see the last people boarding the large ship we were supposed to be on. We ran across the docks to arrive at the ship just in the nick of time.

"You barely made it, we were just about to leave," a crewman said.

He took my ticket, punched it, and let us board. We walked over to the bow of the ship, and passed an odd pair along the way. A boy, roughly the same age as I am, was asleep on a chair with a sleeping Pokemon beside. The Pokemon was dog-like, but appeared to stand on two legs, with blue and black fur patterns.

_"What was that Pokemon's name… Luke… Like… Lucario. That's it, Lucario. The Pokemon from the stories Duke used to tell me," _I thought. "_Man, they are out cold."_

I took a seat on one of the chairs near the sleeping duo. Bagon started to walk towards the sleeping Lucario out of curiosity.

"Don't bother them, they probably had a long day," I said.

Bagon looked back at me and wandered back over, taking a seat on a chair beside me. The ship's horn sounded off again and started moving.

"Get some rest buddy, we have a big day ahead when we get to shore."

Bagon crawled from his seat on the chair onto my lap, and fell fast asleep.

I almost jumped off the chair as the ship's horn sounded off. Bagon was already wide awake and roaming the area around me.

"Now arriving in Nuvema town, all ashore!" boomed over the speakers.

I got up, grabbed my backpack, and walked to the bow of the ship. Bagon wandered up beside me and started to jump to get a better view. I lifted him up, and we both watched the shoreline get closer. The ship pulled into the dock, dropped anchor, and tied off on the dock. I carried Bagon to the side of the ship where we got off, passing the still sleeping duo in the process.

_"How can they sleep through those horns?"_ I wondered.

I set Bagon down on the ground after we walked down the ramp leading from the ship.

"The next ship back to Snowpoint in Sinnoh will be leaving in about four hours," the crewman said as I left.

"Okay, thanks. We won't miss it," I replied.

_"What did he mean 'in Sinnoh'? I thought that was where we still were," _I thought.

I took out the map nurse Joy had given me, looked it over and got my bearings, and headed toward where the lab was listed. On our way, we wandered through the small city, noting that there was not much to be seen. Finally we arrived at the lab, a large building that looked like something from the future. I walked up to the entrance, and a woman walked out to greet me. She wore a white lab coat, white shirt, green skirt, and wore her hair in a bun curved off to the side.

"Welcome to Nuvema town! I'm Professor Juniper, are you a new trainer?" she beamed.

"I guess I am. I'm Zweii, I was sent here by nurse Joy from Snowpoint to get a pokedex," I answered.

"Snowpoint? You came all the way from Sinnoh just to see me? I thought Professor Rowan could do that, did something happen to him?"

"Uh, no. I did not realize there was a lab closer. Wait, I'm not in Sinnoh anymore?"

"No, did you not know where you were going?"

"I am not yet familiar with being a trainer, I come from a small village far North of Snowpoint not listed on most maps. I only learned the very basics of Pokemon, and did not initially plan on being a trainer."

"Interesting, how did you manage to catch that Bagon then?"

Bagon looked up at her with the mention of his name, a happy look on his face.  
"I'm not sure, he tried to protect me but was injured…"

"Then you took him to a center and now he is your friend?" she asked, cutting me off.

"Yes… Is that bad?"

"No, actually, that is very good. It shows you have a natural bond with Pokemon."

"So, what do I need to do to get a pokedex?" I asked, changing the topic to something less degrading.

"I can give you one, come with me."

With that, I followed her into the lab with Bagon close behind.

Inside were people moving around in lab coats, Pokemon helping out where needed, and technical equipment as far as the eye could see. We continued through a few hallways, a few doors, and finally into a room with a large computer and a few other strange electronics. Juniper walked to a desk, opened a cabinet, and withdrew a pokedex. She gave it to me and gestured to follow her, again. I placed the dex into my main satchel, and continued behind. This time we walked through a large door into what seemed to be outside.

"Are we outside?" I asked.

"No, we are in a Pokemon research area. This area is specifically for grass and bug-types." Juniper replied.

I watched Bagon run ahead and dive into a flower patch. He started rolling around in the flowers, sending pollen and dust flying into the air.

"You can log the few Pokemon we have here to get your pokedex started."

As I drew my dex from my satchel, I noticed a strange heat radiating from my backpack. I set it on the ground, opened the compartment the rock was in, only to find it was the source of the heat. I placed a hand on it and it turned ice cold like it was before. I noticed Professor Juniper glancing over my shoulder, but did not show I did so.

_"That was weird…"_ I thought.

I looked over to Bagon, who was standing completely still.

"Bagon, are you alright?" I asked from where I was kneeling.

He just stood there, unmoving, staring into the tall grass. Suddenly a large group of Pokemon of all sorts came running from the tall grass. Juniper looked worried and confused.

"That's strange, I have never seen them do that before," she said.

A Scolipede emerged from the grass with an angry look in its face.

"How did that get here? We're not supposed to have a Scolipede here."

Bagon got ready to battle the Scolipede and I got ready to back him up. Scolipede threw the first attack with a poison sting.

"Dodge it and counter with headbutt!" I called.

Bagon jumped off to the side, and hit Scolipede with a solid headbutt. Scolipede followed with toxic, which barely missed Bagon. Scolipede spun, hitting Bagon with its tail along the way.

"That was poison tail!" Juniper called.

"Bagon you okay?" I called to my partner.

He turned around, nodded, and got back into the battle. After a few more exchanged hits, Bagon was looking fairly exhausted while Scolipede was still going strong. Finally Scolipede rolled up into a donut-shape. It rolled like a tire towards the tired Bagon with decent speed.

"Bagon watch out!"

I reached for my blade, but when I tried to draw it, I almost dislocated my shoulder instead. The blade was stuck in its sheath.

"Not now, what is wrong with this thing?"

Suddenly a Pokemon jumped out from behind us, and used tackle to redirect Scolipede.

"Snivy? What are you doing here?" Juniper asked the new Pokemon.

Snivy ignored her, and took a stance with Bagon. They looked at each other and watched Scolipede get back up.

"Alright Bagon, hang in there, Tackle!"

I was shocked that both Pokemon used a tag-team tackle, both hitting Scolipede simultaneously. The Scolipede recoiled backward into a wall. Bagon and Snivy looked at each other then at me. I watched Scolipede start to get back up with an angry glare in its eye.

"Alright, let's wrap this up! One more attack!"

Both charged forward, Bagon with headbutt and Snivy with tackle. Both landed, sending Scolipede into the wall. When the dust cleared, it revealed a fainted Scolipede.

"Yeah, great job everyone!" I called, walking up to where the pair was standing.

"I wonder how did that Scolipede get in here?" Professor Juniper wondered.

From nowhere a red beam hit the Scolipede and it vanished. I looked up where the beam came from only to see a shadow dash off the roof.

"However it got in, I don't think it was to keep the Pokemon here company."

"Are you sure you were not planning on being a trainer? That was some good natural teamwork you showed, even with a Pokemon that is not yours."

"Thanks, maybe I'm just a natural? Either way, I doubt that will be the last incident you will encounter."

"True, I will have someone keep an eye out to be safe."

Bagon was at my side happy that we won, but Snivy was a little further away, happy for the victory, but not like Bagon. I walked over to Snivy, knelt down, and patted him on the head.

"You did great, thanks for the help."

Snivy looked at me, almost shocked to get praise like that. He just stared at me with an almost absent stare, then came the happy smile. He hugged my leg, and I wondered if he had gotten any attention like this before.

"Appears he likes you, would you like to go with Zweii Snivy?" Juniper asked the joyous Pokemon.

Snivy let go, and started jumping up and down with joy.

"Okay, okay, calm down. Zweii, here is his pokeball. Take care of him."

She handed me a pokeball, along with two others and a small medicine kit.

"Take these as well, that will give you the total of six that you may carry. Granted they are empty, but it helps to get trainers started prepared."

"Thanks, don't worry, I take care of my team, just ask Bagon."

Bagon gave an exhausted, but happy and confirming yipp.

"Okay, let's get everyone to the center before the ship leaves without us." I said, beaming Snivy and Bagon back into their pokeballs. "Thank you Professor for everything. If in the future you need any help, let me know."

"Same for you, good luck Zweii," she replied.

I left the building the way we came, and down the road towards the center on the docks where I started.

"Did you see what was in his backpack?" Juniper asked a fellow scientist.

"It looked like a rock, I was more interested in the sheath at his hip," she replied.

"That emblem did look familiar, and that was no rock…"

"What should we do?"

"Keep a guard near all facilities at all times, and see what you can find on that emblem of his. I know I have seen it before."


	6. Pirates on deck!

After a quick visit to the pokecenter, I was on my way back to the boat. I passed the trainer and his Lucario as I went out the door, both looked fairly tired still.

_"They couldn't just now be getting off that ship. No, that's ridiculous,"_ I thought.

"Good timing, we will be leaving shortly. We will, however, not be going back to Snowpoint, but to Canalave City. The captain has been told to re-route there instead, we are unsure why and apologize for the inconvenience," the greeting crewman said.

"That's fine, I was going to go south anyway," I replied.

I boarded the ship and headed to the seat I was in before. The horn on the ship went off, but the ship did not move.

"Oh crap! We are in the wrong region! Hold that ship!" a voice yelled from shore.

I looked over the side of the ship to see the trainer and his Lucario bolting for the dock. The crewman at the entrance called to the other crewmembers to hold the lines. The duo jumped on the gangplank, and onto the deck of the ship.

"Thanks, that was too close," the trainer said.

Another horn went off and the ship set off. The trainer sat back into the same seat across me, and started talking to himself.

"How did we oversleep so far as to miss a stop?" he said. "I thought you were supposed to keep watch."

His Lucario shrugged like it wasn't his fault.

"What do you mean you overslept too? We didn't train _that_ much."

Lucario gave him a look of disbelief.

"Okay, so we did, but it is to better the team, right? You even learned a new move."

I caught Lucario shooting me a quick glance.

"Don't be like that, don't judge what you do not yet know. You know that."

I closed my eyes, and fell asleep for the journey back to Sinnoh.

_What was that supposed to mean I wonder…"_ I thought.

I woke up to the sound of a large amount of people shouting.

_"That was fast…"_ I thought.

I slowly got up from my chair, looked around, but noticed we had stopped in the middle of the water.

_"Why did we stop?"_

I looked around only to find my backpack was missing.

_"Oh crap…"_

I spin around only to see a man running away with it.

"Come back here!" I yelled. "Bagon, get that thief!"

I threw Bagon's pokeball toward the thief. It landed just beside him, popped open, and Bagon came flying out with a headbutt. He landed the hit directly in the thief's legs behind the knees. The thief fell backward, dropping my backpack along the way. Bagon jumped and did his best to catch it, but only lessened the impact as it landed on his back instead.

"Nice save! Good job!"

I ran over, grabbed my backpack, and checked its contents. The stone had a small crack along the side of it that I never noticed before, even more strange, it had a slight glow to it. The thief slowly got up, turned to me, and drew his own pokeball.

"Want to play that way 'eh?" he threatened.

He threw the ball, and out came a Venipede.

_"At least it's not another Scolipede…"_

"Poison sting!" the thief ordered.

"Dodge it!" I called.

I glanced down the deck and noticed quite a few other trainers battling a larger number of guys like the thief. Oddly though, most were losing. After landing a hit, their Pokemon would sway and look feverish.

_"I know there is something that causes this, but what was it called. No contact, something to do with the skin…"_

"Don't touch the Venipede, something is wrong with it!" I warned.

Bagon looked at me with a 'now what' look.

"Finally, someone smart enough to figure it out. Sadly, you have nothing you can do. Give up!" the thief taunted.

I thought for a moment on what to do next. Before I could make a command, Bagon started coughing.

"Oh no, Bagon what's wrong?"

Smoke started to fume from his nose causing Bagon to inhale through his mouth.

"Venipede, tackle!" the thief ordered.

Just before the tackle landed, Bagon sneezed, throwing sparks and a small amount of fire forward. It hit the Venipede square in the face, causing it to curve sideways and hit the wall. The thief looked at the now unconscious Venipede, shocked. He drew its pokeball, returned it, and ran off.

"Awesome job Bagon, you learned a new move!"

Bagon jumped for joy, sneezing again, and sent a bolt of fire flying past me.

"Save the fireworks for the other Venipede," I said jokingly.

We made our way down the ship, taking on all the Venipede and thieves we could. Finally, we got to the far end of the ship where a man in black and red was standing.

"Is this the little punk who has been causing the trouble in our plan?" he said with a bitter tone.

He had his army of grunts behind him, all of which had some kind of stolen item on them, minus the one who tried to steal my backpack.

"You have no right to ambush a ship and start stealing!" I said.

"What are you going to do? Your Bagon looks pathetic, and I doubt you could take me on yourself."

I looked at Bagon, and he did look fairly tired.

_"I would use Snivy, but he wouldn't stand a chance against these guys,"_ I thought.

"Alright Bagon, we can do this."

This time, instead of a chirp, he let out a growl.

"Whatever you say kid, come on out!"

He threw a pokeball and out came, of course, a Scolipede.

"What is it with you guys and these things?" I muttered.

"Let's make this quick, sludge bomb!"

The Scolipede threw a muddy ball at Bagon, falling a few feet short of hitting him. When it hit, however, it exploded causing Bagon to get pushed back a short distance.

"Do not let one of those hit you!" I called as the dust cleared.

"I'm surprised he is still standing. Sadly, he won't be for long," the man taunted.

Following that, the Scolipede sent out barrages of sludge bombs. Bagon tried his best to keep dodging them, until a different color orb hit the center of the field causing the Scolipede to stop. Bagon fell onto his backside, sitting from exhaustion. The smoke cleared to reveal the Lucario standing between Bagon and Scolipede. In his hand was a large, glowing blue bone.

"Where did you come from? No matter, now I can get a challenge," the man said.

The trainer in black and white from before came up beside me.

"Okay Lucario, this guy has tormented these people enough, let's teach him how we treat thieves," he said.

Lucario let out a cry and held the large bone in two hands, much like a staff.

"Bone rush!"

Lucario charged forward with incredible speed, and took a few swings at the Scolipede. The Scolipede dodged two of the three swings. The Scolipede was faster than I thought it would be. Lucario continued his assault, landing a few hits in where he could. Bagon watched with interest as Lucario fought. He stood back up, reinvigorated, ready to continue fighting.

"Just rest, let's not get in his way," I told Bagon.

I watched the continuing battle unfold, now Scolipede was starting to take the hits and retaliate instead of flinching.

"Try a bone rush aura sphere combination!"

Lucario alternated using bone rush and aura sphere, but looked like he was starting to slow down. Suddenly I had a crazy idea come into my head. Bagon looked a little disappointed that he could not help, so I decided to go with my gut feeling.

"How can Lucario do more damage, he's not even making a scratch anymore…" the trainer whispered.

"Where there is a will, there is a way. I have an idea," I told him.

"What do you mean?"

"Bug type hate fire, Bagon has a fire move, but not the power to do anything. Lucario has the power…"

"But not the effect, I know where you are going with this. If it works, you are a genius. Lucario, fall back, we have a new plan."

Lucario jumped back, landing a ways to the right of Bagon.

"Giving up so soon? Ha ha, how sad!" the man taunted.

"Remember what baseball is?" the trainer asked his Lucario.

He nodded.

"Batter up. Bagon fire a concentrated ember attack at Lucario," I said.

Bagon hesitated, but charged an ember shot. Lucario, figuring his role out, took position with his bone rush. Bagon released the ball of fire straight at Lucario, who had turned to have his right side facing Scolipede. When the fireball reached Lucario, he hit it with his bone rush, sending it flying with great speed toward Scolipede.

"Scolipede! Dod…"

He was too late, the fireball hit Scolipede and exploded. The Scolipede fell to the ground, but was still not out.

"Crap, I thought that was going to work…" the trainer said.

Bagon started yapping, and tugging on my pantleg. I looked at him, and he was pointing at Lucario.

"Lucario, your bone!" I called, apparently being the only one to notice.

Lucario's glowing blue bone was faintly on fire after hitting the ember attack. He looked at it, and hurled it at Scolipede, hitting it square on the head, and finally knocking it out.

"What?! No! We can't lose, not like this to a couple kids!" the man yelled, returning his Scolipede to its pokeball.

"Now give back everything you stole!" I called.

"Or else, you will be the next homerun," the trainer warned.

Lucario placed his hands together and produced another blue bone.

"We will meet again, and next time, you will not have such luck on your side."

The man nodded to the grunts, who dropped all of the items they stole onto the deck. He then spun around, flashing a strange sash hanging from his belt that was unseen until now. On it was a chained pokeball with a sword through it. Before it hit me, he jumped off the side of the ship with his goons in tail. They landed in a boat beside, and cruised back towards where we departed.

"Well, that was quick thinking on your part," the trainer said.

"Thanks, nice catching on so fast," I agreed.

"It was like we were thinking the same thing…" we said simultaneously.

"That was weird…" I said.

"Yeah…"

"Anyway, I'm Zweii. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Ace. Likewise."

The rest of the ship got reorganized, and we headed on our way once again.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep the rest of the way there. I know Lucario can use the rest as well," Ace said, yawning.

"Yeah, Bagon, you get some rest too," I said, returning the exhausted Bagon to his pokeball.

I looked at Lucario, who just sat down on the floor and closed his eyes.

"Not going to return him?"

"No, he stays out. He can rest and renew his aura better in the fresh air. Good night."

"But, it's the middle of the..." I stopped when I noticed the pair was already out cold.

_"How can they sleep so much?"_ I wondered as I sat on a chair, and watched the waves.

Not long after, we arrived at Canalave City. I got off the ship noticing Ace was up and getting off behind. We made it to the center in the area, and gave nurse Joy our Pokemon to heal.

"Where are you going from here?" Ace asked.

"I'm not sure, probably south and work my way up from there," I answered.

"Not from around here?"

"I'm from a small town isolated at the highest point north, so I don't know the area."

"Oh, then I would make a stop at Jubilife City. Big city with a lot of people, things to do, and info to be heard."

I took my map out to find the city, and was happy to see it was the next one over.

"As for me, I'm going to Oreburgh City for some information and a few other things."

The bell chimed and nurse Joy came out with a tray of pokeballs and Lucario.

"Thank you, ready to go to Oreburgh?" Ace asked Lucario.

He replied with what looked like a fist pump.

"Maybe we will bump into each other again. Good luck!" Ace said as he left with Lucario.

I took my Pokemon, thanked nurse Joy, and headed out the door. I walked across a wooden bridge in the middle of the city and out of the town. I went across an area filled with mostly water, but stayed on the sandbar as much as I could as saltwater and steel don't mix well. It only took me an hour or so to get to Jubilife City. At the entrance, a man in a black coat met me.

"Hey, want to play a game?" he whispered.


	7. Jubilife and Oreburgh

"Excuse me?" I asked the strange man, a hand on my blade.

"Would you like to play a game?" he repeated. "I love games!"

With that, he grabbed the side of his coat and threw it into the air. I tried to draw my blade slightly, but it was still locked in place, so I quietly placed a hand on Bagon's pokeball.

"Let's play hide-and-seek!"

I was shocked to see under the coat was a man in a clown costume. I relaxed and placed my hand back to my side.

"What?"

"Hide-and-seek! Can you find all three of us?"

I paused for a moment, looked around, and back at the clown.

"Found one," I said sarcastically, pointing at him.

"So you have! Two more to go, collect three of these, and go to the large building that way," he said, giving me a ticket and pointing down the road.

"Thank you…"

I accepted the ticket and headed to the building the clown pointed to. On my way I passed a building with a large antenna on it. A man came running out with a camera.

"What a bizarre outfit you are wearing! Are you famous or something? I must interview you!" the man asked.

Before I knew it I was being pulled into the building, sat into a chair on the other side of a desk, and being asked a million questions.

"What is your name? Where are you from? Why are you here? Are you a trainer?" he continued.

I have no idea what made me do it, but I looked down at the floor. Oddly the man in a business suit asking the questions was wearing red shoes.

"Let me ask a question of my own, are red shoes normal for your business or are you just hiding the real you?" I asked.

"Aww, I thought this disguise was clever. Congratulations, you need to only find one more, and he is very hard to miss."

I was given another ticket, and was on my way. The clown in the suit was right, the last one was hard to miss. A man dancing in a clown suit was standing just outside the large building. I walked up to him to claim my last ticket.

"You guys really need to know how hide-and-seek is supposed to work," I said.

"Most people are younger or older than you, so we need to make it easy. Besides, it's just for fun!"

_"If by fun they mean make everything overly easy…"_ I thought.

I dismissed the thought and headed into the building. A man in a suit, glasses, and no red shoes greeted me at the door.

"Hello, I am the inventor of Poketch. Do you have your three gold tickets?" he asked.

"I do," I said, and handed them to him.

"Excellent! Here is your free Poketch," he said, handing me a strange watch.

"What does it do?"

"Ah, it tells time, and much more! I am not going to tell you what exactly, you will have to play with it and find out for yourself."

_"Great, another cryptic mystery besides this sword,"_ I thought as I put the watch on.

I thanked him and left back out the door. I headed to the other end of town, only to find a sign that read "Oreburgh City."

_"Wasn't that where Ace and Lucario were going?"_

I decided I might as well go to the next city to see what was so important.

It took the later half of the day to make my way over to the neighboring city. I walked through the entryway, and could have sworn I was in the middle of some kind of desert. Upon closer inspection it looked more like a quarry, hence the name OREburgh.

_"Not much here is there?"_ I wondered, watching the sunset behind the small town.

I walked to the nearby center where I was greeted by yet another nurse Joy.

"How are you today?" she asked.

"I'm doing fine, can I stay the night?" I asked with a curious tone.

"Sisters. We have a very extensive family."

"Ah, that would explain it. You had me thinking you ran all the way here," I said with a laugh.

"We get that a lot. Here is your key."

I took the key, walked down the hall, opened the door, and sat on the bed.

"Aah, feels good to sit down. Speaking of which…"

I took the two pokeballs off my belt and released them. Snivy and Bagon came out and greeted me with a smile.

"Break time everyone, feel free to wander around, but don't leave the room. If you are tired, I will leave your pokeballs here."

I took my armor off and laid it across a chair next to my backpack, then changed into my night clothes. I climbed into bed, and fell asleep to the sounds of Bagon and Snivy's happy calls as they played tag.

I woke up to find Snivy and Bagon asleep on the bed instead of their pokeballs. I tried to get up without waking them, but the pair awoke nonetheless. They looked at me and at their pokeballs on the nightstand.

"Ha ha, it's fine, so long as nobody snores," I joked. "Let's get packed and ready for what today brings."

I geared back up, grabbed my backpack, and headed out. I decided to let Snivy and Bagon tail behind as they were in their pokeballs most of the day before. We walked to the desk where I gave nurse Joy the key back and paid for the remainder of the night.

"Going to the gym?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, where is it?" I asked in return.

"Just up the road a little bit. Hard to miss."

"Okay, thanks."

We followed her directions and went up the road. We walked up to a large building with a rounded roof and a half-pokeball symbol on the top.

"Think this is the place?" I asked my team.

Joyful cries answered.

"I wonder how this works…"

Suddenly, a happy trainer came out of the front doors.

"That was close! Nice work! First badge in the region!" he called.

I noticed he had a Lucario in tail, who was slightly worn but cheerful like his trainer.

"Hey, Ace! What's going on?" I called.

"Hey! Guess what?!" he replied, jogging over to us.

"What? You look awful happy."

"We just got our first gym badge!" he showed a small badge. "It's the Coal badge!"

"The what?"

"You don't know what the badges are?"

"No, I have no experience with gyms, badges, or much else regarding being an actual trainer for that matter. To be honest I thought this was a work-out gym…"

Ace stood there silent for a bit, shocked to what I said.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Let's get back to the nearby center, and you can tell me what else you don't know about being a trainer…"

**A/N: That's the end of the semi-edited bits and parts. From here onward will be in third person, and has been edited quite a lot from the original. If you read this story before, I would start here if I were you. If you are new, welcome, thanks for reading! Things are about to kick off, sit back and enjoy the ride...**


	8. The first Gym battle

"That's about it. You know the rest up until now, obviously," Zweii said.

Both trainers were sitting at a table in the Pokemon Center just down the road from the gym.

"Interesting, you have had quite the adventure of a lifestyle. I will say it again, for someone with that background, you make a seemingly natural trainer," Ace replied.

"Thanks, so how do I do gym battles?"

"Well, it's easy. All that battling you did on the ship was good experience. You are a good trainer, you just need to apply it."

"Alright, how?"

"To get a gym badge, you must defeat the gym leader. To do that, you have to make your way through their gym. Some have puzzles or mazes to go through."

"Sounds simple enough."

"The leader of the Oreburgh gym's name is Roark, he is a rock-type leader, so expect that to be his primary Pokemon type."

"So just go in, make my way through, and challenge him?"

"Yep, that's about it. Roark's is just a walk-in gym, so nothing between the doors and him."

"Then we're off to battle the gym!" Zweii called. "Okay, everyone back in, we don't want to be at a disadvantage right off with him knowing who I've got."

Zweii returned both Snivy and Bagon back to their pokeballs.

"Good luck!" Ace called.

Zweii walked up to the doors of the gym, looked toward the roof, took a deep breath, and headed inside.

_"Here we go. We can do this,"_ he thought.

The doors closed behind as he walked inside. A large field covered in dirt and rocks stood in the center of the large room. Zweii walked to the edge of the field where a white box was outlined. A set of doors on the other end of the field opened, and a man walked out. He was wearing a red hardhat, gray shirt and pants, boots, white gloves, and glasses. He walked to the small white box on the opposite side.

"Welcome to the Oreburgh City gym! I'm Roark, are you here to challenge me?" he called from the other side of the field.

"I'm Zweii, and yes I am!" Zweii called back.

Another man in tan clothes walked to the right side of the field, holding a red and green flag.

"Standard single battle. You may use up to six Pokemon, one at a time. First to run out of Pokemon loses," the man said.

"You can do it!" came from the balcony above the man.

Zweii looked up and saw Ace and Lucario standing behind a railing on a balcony above the field.

"Ready for this?" Roark asked.

"Hopefully…" Zweii muttered, and drew Snivy's pokeball from his belt.

"Good, Geodude go!"

He threw a ball, which opened to reveal a Geodude ready for battle. Zweii released Snivy and he took a fighting position.

"Grass-type, good choice," Roark commented. "Alright Geodude, let's get started with a tackle."

Geodude charged forward towards Snivy.

"Dodge and use tackle!"

Snivy jumped to the side of the oncoming Geodude, and slammed into its side. Geodude barely flinched with the attack.

_"His Geodude is too sturdy for blunt attacks, and Snivy doesn't know any grass-type moves…"_ Zweii thought.

"Geodude, use rock throw."

Geodude threw a shower of stones toward Snivy, who managed to dodge most of them. The next few turns exchanged rocks and tackles.

"Alright Snivy, one more tackle! Give it all you've got!"

Snivy dashed forward, colliding with Geodude head on. The impact was enough to stir up a large amount of dust. Everyone, Ace and Lucario included, watched intently as the dust cloud settled. Finally, after an intense five seconds, the cloud started to disappear. Sadly the only outcome it revealed was a dual KO.

"Both Geodude and Snivy are unable to battle!" the man with the flags called.

"Good work Geodude, that was intense."

"You too Snivy, you did great."

Both returned their feinted Pokemon, and drew their next.

"Let's go Cranidos!" Roark called.

"Okay Bagon, let's win this!"

Both Pokemon were called onto the field.

"This will be interesting!" Roark commented. "Let's get started with leer!"

Bagon stared at Cranidos and shook his head.

_"Leer. Roark must know Bagon can defeat Cranidos, so he is going to try and lower his defense,"_ Ace thought.

"Use ember, followed by a tackle."

Bagon shot a fireball at Cranidos resulting in a direct hit. Zweii knew fire would do nothing, but it was enough to distract Cranidos long enough for Bagon's tackle to land.

"Clever move," came from above.

"Cranidos, use headbutt!"

"Bagon, show him who has a better headbutt!"

Both Bagon and Cranidos charged at each other, heads lowered. The collision sent a shockwave powerful enough to rattle Zweii's blade in its sheath, not to mention a few bones. The two were interlocked in the center of the field.

"Use leer while he can't move!"

Cranidos's eyes glowed yellow, and caused Bagon's defence to drop again. Bagon started to fatigue, causing him to lose ground as Cranidos pushed him backwards.

"Leer one last time!"

Again, Bagon's defense was devastated, reaching its lowest point. Cranidos reared its head back, sending Bagon into a backflip.

"One last attack, headbutt!"

Cranidos launched itself straight up into the air above Bagon. Cranidos flipped and dove straight down onto Bagon. Both hit the ground with surprising force. When the dust settled, both were standing facing each other. They stood there for a few seconds, until Bagon started to sway and fell forward.

"Bagon is unable to battle. The winner is gym leader Roark," the man said, holding up the red flag.

Zweii walked up to Bagon, and lifted him up. He looked disappointed, almost depressed.

"It's alright. It is my fault. I have zero experience in gym battles, let alone battling in general. You did great. Let's get you to the center, and we will practice so we can win next time," Zweii said.

His mood brightened up a bit before he was returned to his pokeball.

Roark and his Cranidos walked up to me as Bagon's ball was put away.

"Was that true? About your experience?" he asked.

"It was. I grew up in a small snowy village with little to no contact with anything outside it," Zweii explained. "I was schooled on only the basics of Pokemon, nothing on battling. The only trainer is my father-in-law and only had a Camerupt for the forge. I went on this journey to find out about my past, never expecting to become a trainer."

"Interesting, you sure show you have the skill to be a great trainer. Actually, I thought you have been doing it a while."

"To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing, I just went with what my gut was telling me. I was just informed what the gyms were before coming in here, so I thought I'd give it a shot."

"Well you did very well, all things considered. With gyms, you can keep challenging them, only once per day though. Practice, train, and come back."

"I will do that, thanks for the experience, expect more next time."

Zweii waved, and walked toward the door. He glanced up at the balcony where Ace was, and he was gone. Upon exiting through the doors back outside, Zweii noticed Ace was already outside and talking to a man in a lab coat. The man handed him a pokeball, talked to him a little, and left.

"You did great for a first time gym battle," he said, putting the new pokeball on his belt.

"Yeah, I just need more practice. I didn't think it would be that hard."

They walked to the center and healed Zweii's team.

"Follow me. We are going to get you some practical training," Ace said.

"What?" Zweii asked.

Before he could react, Ace grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of the center.

"Where are we going?"

"We are going to a place I heard about. It's supposed to be peaceful and quiet."

Before Zweii knew it, they were passing back through Jubilife City. They exited through the north entrance, and continued up a grassy road. The duo entered a city named "Floaroma Town" which was filled with flowers of all kinds and colors. Zweii didn't get to see much of it as they sailed straight through the small town, and ended up deep in a forest.

"This is Eterna Forest. A peaceful forest with very few people trafficking through it," Ace said when they finally arrived.

"So what are we going to do here?" Zweii asked.

"I am going to teach you how battling works, and work on teamwork between you and your team."

He drew a pokeball from his belt, threw it, and a strange Pokemon came out.

"What is that?" Zweii asked.

"This is why I went to Oreburgh. I found a fossil some time ago, and was informed Oregurgh had a great lab used to research such things. Come to find out, it was a fossilized Pokemon. Say hello Kabuto."

The Pokemon let out a screech noise.

"Okay, let's go Snivy," Zweii said, letting him out.

"First thing you should do every matchup is take out your pokedex. See what you are up against."

Zweii took out his dex and pointed it at the new Pokemon.

_"Kabuto: Rock/Water-type: Shellfish Pokemon"_

"See, you chose Snivy to battle against a rock/water-type, making it very effective. As you go, you will learn these type advantages, don't worry."

"Ah, so that is how the types work. I learned about the different types, but mainly for identification in the field."

"Second thing you want to do is look at the opponent's Pokemon. Is it fatigued, pumped, any status problems. Check the condition they are in. After that, do the same to the trainer."

"So yours look nervous, which is normal if you just got it I assume. As for the trainer, insane and a little overconfident."

"Good, wait!"

"Ha ha, just kidding. Ready to go."

"Hmph. Next, usually, the challenger takes first strike. Make it good, but accurate."

"Alright, use tackle."

Snivy went to start, but looked back instead.

"What's wrong?"

A long vine came from each shoulder, and he pointed at them questionably.

"That's vine whip, would be better against a rock-type. Why didn't you use it in the battle with Roark?"

"I didn't know Snivy learned it. When?"

Snivy started rocking back and forth, gesturing a boat.

"On the ship?"

Snivy nodded.

"Next lesson, know your team. That would have been the turn around at the gym…"

"How can I tell?"

A beep was coming from Zweii's watch as if it could hear the conversation. He looked down at it, pressed a button, and a pixilated picture of Snivy came up. He tapped on it, and not only did all the moves that he knew come up, but his basic stats too.

"What is that?" Ace asked.

"It's called Poketch. Basically a watch that can do all kinds of things, but I was not told what. I guess a team monitor is one thing."

"That's useful, use that. Otherwise, like Bagon did on the boat, the new moves just show up at random times. Your pokedex also tells you what moves your team members know."

"Okay Snivy, sorry for my incompetence. Let's do this!"

Snivy gave a small fist pump, and got into battle position.

"Use vine…"

Zweii was suddenly cut off by a scream. Everyone's attention was diverted to the direction of the scream. Ace's Lucario jumped up into a tree to get a better view. After a few seconds, he came back down, and stood beside Ace right side to his right.

"Did you notice that giant house on the hill back there when we came in here?" Zweii asked, gesturing to a rooftop.

"I did not, how did we miss such a large building?" Ace wondered.

"Let's go see what happened."

Both returned their Pokemon, and headed out.

**A/N: The start of the core fixes. If you see any first person bits I accidentally missed, please PM me and let me know so I can fix it. I'm almost certain I got them all, but one letter amongst a sea of words is hard to see sometimes. Thanks everyone!**


	9. Chaos in the forest

**A/N: Sorry guys about the delay and the coding error. No idea what happened there… This time it should work!**

It took a while to get through the thick forest. Lucario had to keep going up and down trees to guide the group in the right direction, always landing beside Ace in the same fashion before turning around and leading onward.

_"Why does he keep doing that…"_ Zweii wondered.

They finally arrived at the large house. Another ear-splitting scream echoed from inside the mansion. Zweii looked around us, noticing how creepy it was, and the sudden amount of fog that rolled in.

"You can't even tell if it is night or day right now…" Zweii mentioned.

"You're right. This place gives me the creeps," Ace said.

They walked up to the doors, and each laid a hand on the door. With a glance at each other, they threw the doors open. Lucario dashed through the doors as they flew open, ready for anything inside. The trainers slowly made their way inside, being as quiet as possible, which suddenly became very difficult to do when the doors flew shut with a loud bang. They looked at each other, obviously freaked out, and made it to the beginning of the stairs, where Ace stopped.

"Do you hear that?" Ace asked.

Zweii stopped and listened but could barely hear, what sounded like, a refrigerator running.

"I hear a fridge. So?"

"According to this," he said, looking at a guidebook. "This house has been abandoned for a long time, and is supposedly haunted…"

"Great, let's just head back…" Zweii said and turned to leave.

He stopped, and froze in place, a horrified look on his face.

"What?"

"We did come in that way, right?"

Ace turned around, only to almost drop his book. The door they came in from was gone.

"Please tell me we got spun around and ended up somewhere else in the house…" he said.

"No, we are literally a few steps in."

"Okay, there has to be a reasonable…"

"Shh, listen."

They stood there listening. Ace looked at Lucario, who shrugged with equal confusion.

"What? I don't hear anything."

"Exactly, where did the fridge sound go?"

Suddenly a loud crash came from upstairs. All three jumped from the sudden noice, and spun around. With a glance ant one another, they ran upstairs and through a door into a large hallway with even more doors.

"Which door?" Zweii asked.

"Why not…" Ace started.

"Don't you DARE say to split up. Nothing ends well in this situation when people split up."

Suddenly a washing machine was sitting at the end of the hallway.

"Was that always there?" I asked.

"Uh, no…" Ace replied.

The machine took a step in our direction, and the trainers took a step back. The machine took another forward, and opened the front. A pair of underwear flew out at the group, and hit Lucario in the face. He slowly pulled them off, clearly angry. A blue glow began to form in his right hand. A blue transparent bone formed, and he charged forward with it.

"Lucario, wait!" Ace tried, but was too late.

Lucario destroyed the possessed washing machine until only a pile of parts remained. As Lucario finished his outburst, Ace watched as a small spark of light flew into a nearby fan, and it began to fly. Lucario glanced at the flying fan and made quick work of that appliance as well, still enraged. The ball of light sat there, hovering a ways above the floor. Zweii heard a slight click sound, which drew his attention to his hip, noticing the sword was an inch out of its sheath. He placed a hand on the hilt and started to draw it from its sheath.

_"That's odd…"_ Zweii thought.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightening shot out of the ball of light. By sheer reflex, Zweii threw the blade in front of himself to deflect the attack. He parried the lightning bolt, which flew and hit the wall to the left. Ace and Lucario dove behind a nearby doorway in the wall as a barrage of lightning was being fired from the orb. Zweii continued to parry each bolt as it came, his sword changing to a dusty brown color.

_"At least I know I would be good at playing tennis."_

"Bagon, Snivy! I need some help!"

He glanced at his belt, only to find all of his pokeballs were missing.

"Ace, my Pokemon are gone!"

He checked his belt, and his were missing too. Lucario only stayed because he was outside his pokeball.

_"Crap, I can't keep this up."_

"Lucario, help…"

"No, don't send him out. He is part steel-type, it is too risky."

The last bolt that hit the blade bounced off a lamp and hit Zweii's backpack. He braced for an electrical jolt, but nothing happened. The orb stopped firing, apparently wondering why he wasn't hurt. Suddenly, a cracking sound coming from the backpack broke the silence. A beam of light burst from behind, and shot in front of Zweii. When the light faded, a sword fitted in a sheath was hovering in front of the confused trainer. The blade looked very strange, and the sheath even stranger. What's more is the red and purple cloth that attached to the end. The cloth wound down, grabbed the center of the sheath, and appeared to draw itself. Now hovering in front was a blood red blade "holding" its own sheath. It gave off a strange metallic sound before disappearing in a puff of shadowy smoke.

_"What was that?"_ Zweii thought, noticing his backpack was considerably lighter.

The orb started to charge another bolt. Zweii braced for impact, hoping the last of his stamina would hold up. Suddenly the sword came back in another puff of smoke, but behind the orb. It slashed through the air like someone was swinging it, with a dark residue of energy trailing behind. The hit landed with a small burst of energy. The orb flinched, the attack stopped, and it retreated down the hall into the neighboring room. Zweii dropped to a knee from exhaustion, leaning on his blade to for support.

"You okay?" Ace asked.

"Go, hurry, it went into that room!" Zweii called, pointing down the hall.

Ace and Lucario dashed down the hallway and into the dining room. Zweii looked at the hovering sword, and noticed it had an eye where the hilt met the blade.

"Are you… a Pokemon?" Zweii asked, scrambling back to his feet.

The sword almost…bowed. Zweii took out his pokedex from his satchel and pointed it at the strange Pokemon.

_"No data found."_

"Why did you help me?"

The Pokemon fitted itself back into its sheath, and hovered over to the trainer. The cloth coming from it moved like an arm toward him. Three of the four splits at the end curved back, the remaining one pointing to his hip.

"You know who this blade belonged to…"

The extended split pointed upwards like a "thumbs up" gesture.

"Then that stone, was an egg?"

Another "thumbs up." A loud explosion broke the bonding moment.

"Let's go help Ace."

Zweii and the new Pokemon made their way down the hall and into the doorway of the dining room.

"Zweii, watch out!" Ace yelled.

Zweii barely dodged an incoming blast of snow and ice. He looked around the room to see a destroyed oven and what used to be a lawnmower.

"What is going on?" he called over the sudden frigid winds.

"That orb can take over various appliances. The type and attacks also change when it does. Best guess is this fridge is the last its got." Ace replied. "Let's go Lucario, take this thing out!"

Lucario shrugged off the frigid winds as he prepared another bone rush. He dashed forward, and took one of the refrigerator's doors off. The orb dashed out of the appliance just before Lucario destroyed it. The icy winds died out, and everyone was back staring the orb down. The orb grew two bolt-like wings, a face, and a needle-like form on its head. Both Ace and Zweii took out their dexes and scanned it.

_"Rotom: Electric/Ghost type: Plasma Pokemon"_

"It also says it can change form depending on the appliance it takes over," Ace said.

"That would explain a lot, and have been nice to know before…" Zweii replied.

"Not like we thought to scan an appliance. Lucario, let's see if we can catch it."

"With what?" Zweii asked. "All our pokeballs are gone."

He reached into the inside of his shirt, and withdrew a pokeball.

"Always carry a spare."

The strange smile on Rotom suddenly faded. It threw a lightning bolt at Ace, which Lucario blocked with his bone rush.

"Aura sphere!"

Lucario put his glowing blue bone away, and started to charge a glowing orb in his hands. Rotom charged another bolt of lightning. Both let their attacks lose simultaneously. The aura sphere met the bolt of lightning, and slowly started to cut through it. The Rotom froze, shocked, and took the aura sphere to the face. It began to laugh, but Lucario followed up the attack with a swift roundhouse kick that trailed orange.  
"What was that?" Zweii asked.

"Insurance, a little something we have been working on. Great job Lucario, almost got it down!" Ace called.  
Rotom fell to the floor, its wings jolting as if it was shorting out. Ace threw the pokeball at the shorting Pokemon, which hit Rotom, beamed it inside, and started to rock. It was an intense few seconds as everyone stared at the flashing and rocking ball. Finally there was a click, the red light went out, and the ball stopped moving.

"Yeah! Awesome job Lucario! We got Rotom!" Ace cheered.

"Good for you, now all we need to do is find our Pokemon," Zweii said.

The sword Pokemon vanished.

"Where did it go?" Ace asked.

There was a loud metallic clang, followed by an inhuman shriek. Shortly after the sword reappeared unsheathed. Seconds after, another Pokemon appeared.

"A Haunter. That makes sense," Ace said.

"A Haunter?" Zweii asked, pulling out his dex once again.

_"Haunter: Ghost/Poison type: Gas Pokemon."_

"Haunter are devious tricksters. I bet this one was the main cause of the hauntings," Ace said.

The sword Pokemon prodded at the Haunter. It looked disappointed, and strangely, scared. Haunter took each hand and withdrew both trainer's Pokemon and extra pokeballs in its hands. It gave them back, and vanished. Both trainers attached all of the pokeballs back to their belts. Zweii noticed the sword Pokemon was pointing at his belt after re-sheathing itself.

"You want to come with us?" Zweii asked.

It bowed.

He withdrew one of the remaining empty pokeballs and tossed it to the sword. It caught the ball, tossed it up, and beamed inside, only taking a few seconds to settle.

"I can see we are going to be a good team," Zweii said, picking the ball up and attaching it.

He heard a beep coming from his watch as the new Pokemon's data was added.

"Honedge? According to this, that is what his name is. That's strange his data is not in the dex."

"We should head to Sandgem Town and talk to Professor Rowan," Ace suggested.

"I agree, now let's get out of this creepy place."

They turned around to see the doors reappeared. Everyone exited through them, made their way back through the forest, and headed to Sandgem Town.

_"What does all this mean? Does Honedge know my parents? One mystery leads to many others. Will the first ever be solved?"_ Zweii wondered as they walked.


End file.
